Coupling for coal worm sections



E. BIRKENBEUEL COUPLING FOR COAL WORM SECTIONS May 24, 1938..

Filed'May 18, 1956 COAL Bun Patented May 24,1938 v 7 2,118,289

UNITED \STATES'PATENT OFFICE Edward B. Birkenbeuel, Portland, reg., assignor to Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company, Portland, Oreg.

Application May is, 1936, Serial Nb. 80,397

1 Claim. ('01. 198-213) This invention relates generally to coal worms shown a coal bin 10 which communicates by for underfeed stokers and particularly to a c0umeans of a coal tube II with a retort ll of an pling for uniting coal worm sections. underfeed stoker. Within the tube H are a plu- The main object of this invention. is the pro! rality of sections l3 of coal worm which are brvision of an improved form of coupling for unitdinarilyidentical, although if desired can be made ing the sections of an elongated coal worm in a of different pitches or thicknesses of fiight to manner that its thrust bearing may be placed suit the ideas'of the designer. Each'section l3 near its discharge end for the purpose of subconsists of a shaft or core l4 upon which is jecting the screw'to tension instead of placing it formed a helical flight I5. The flight I5 is sein compression as is ordinarily the ease. cured to the shaft M by the welds Hi. This type 10 The second object is to make it possible to rep of worm is described as being especially adaptable duce the friction load on a worm drive by causfor use in connection with my construction. ing the worm to be continually urged toward a Each section I3 has one end I! of its shaft M straight line axis and to provide an; inexpensive projecting beyond its nearest end of the flight I5- and rugged form of connection between the worm, while the end I8 of the shaft J4 does notextend 5 sections and one which will not offer an. objecas far .a'xially as does its end of the flight l5.

tionable resistance to the movement of fuel The distances which the end I! projects. from through the coal tube. I one end of the section l3 issubstantially the same These, and other objects, will become more as the distance which the end l8 recedes into itsapparent from the specification following as 'illusend of the section i3.- In' other words, when the 20 .trated in the accompanying drawing, in which: ends I1 and i8 contact each other, the worm Fig. '1 is a sectional view through a stoker inflight I5 is continuoua'and its overlapping ends stallation having a rear end drive and elongated I!) and 20 may be scarfed as shown in Fig. 4 or coal screw for which this coupling-is especially merely overlapped asshown' in Fig. 5. In either useful. v event, the ends l9 are s'ecurely joined by means 25 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation-of one end of of the bolt or rivet 2i. p the coal worm section. I The discharge end of the assembled sections l3 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the adjaextend into the retort l2. The endsection therecent end of the next coal worm section. ofpreferably has a reversed flight- 22 formed Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the prethereonto prevent coal from working out of the 3 ferred form of flight fastening. retort toward the drive mechanism 23,, which is Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a modified connected directly to the shaft 24 of the reversed f rm f fli ht fastening. flight 22. Athrust bearing 25 carries the axial Fig. 61s a transverse section taken along the load of the coal wcrm.

line 6-4; in Fig. 2. v a It can be seen by the foregoing. that with this 35 Similar numbers of reference refer to similar construction, elongated worms of any length can parts throughout the several views; be produced from a few standard lengths of worm Before entering into an explanation of this .section l3'and when once assembled, the sections invention, it must be understood that it has iong will have the characteristics of a one pieceworm" 40 been the practice to make elongated worms in J and will be without the objectionable obstruc- 40 sections and 'to unite these by various forms of tions in the way of couplings of the type now in couplings, most .of these being intended for use common use. when the worm was operated in compression. I claim? ,The objection to most of.these connections, how- A conveyor. worm comprising a pair of spiral ever, resided in the increased resistance whichconveyor elements having. their adjacent ends 45 they offered to the movement of fuel through the joined and having a cylindrical opening therecOal, t W my 1 1 n.. the core ofthrough, a shaft forming a core for one of said the w rm i n r ed at all and he flights secured thereto and projecting from the flights need not be thickened at the point of end thereof, the end portion of the second flightcoupling. Also, the sections may be united or being devoid of a core but'having a cylindrical 0 separated with little effort, and the sections openingtherein adapted to receivesaid projectthereof are rigidly united in. anal alignment; ing shaft end. I

Referring in detail to the drawing, there is -EDWABD l3. BNBEUEL. 

